Newly-built High-speed RORO Vessel to make Maiden Call in Coron Port Soon

Coron, Palawan (PNA) — A new player in the roll-on, roll-off (RORO) ferry business that has been giving a lot of attention to providing safe transport for inter-island sea travel of people and goods docked at Coron port for the first time Tuesday.

Archipelago Philippine Ferries Corporation (APFC), which was founded in 2002 and now owns and operates the Philippines’ first and only catamaran RORO ferries, as well as a few modernized ports and terminals in the eastern and western Philippines sea route, plans to operate the Manila-Coron-Linapacan-El Nido route.

Mayors and board members of Bukidnon province together with Governor Jose Alvarez, arrived in Coron on board the RORO vessel via El Nido.

The MV FastCat 1, which also left in the afternoon of the said day, also offered free rides to Coron residents to Manila.

At present, FastCat 1 regularly travels between Batangas-Calapan, Bulalacao (Oriental Mindoro)-Caticlan, Matnog (Sorsogon)-Allen (Samar), Iloilo-Bacolod, Liloan (Leyte)-Lipata (Surigao), at Dumaguete-Dipolog.

It can accommodate 275 passengers, and includes facilities for differently-abled and elderly passengers.

She also has a capacity of approximately 300 lane meters for trucks, cars, and other land vehicles. She can hold 30-34 cars, and 6-7 trucks or buses.

FastCat 1 provides discounts on fares. Infants below 2 years old are free. Children between ages 2-11 years old 50% discount; students 15% discount; and Senior Citizens enjoy 20% discount.

A typical RORO being used in the Philippines has only one hull. Unlike them, FastCat 1 is a catamaran with two hulls and 10 water tight compartments. Its twin-hull design makes her more stable because her center of buoyancy and gravity is wider than a monohull.

The APFC was founded to provide a vital maritime link between the Philippines’ 7,107 islands. Since its incorporation in 2002, it has become a trusted shipping company that owns and operates the Philippines’ first and only catamaran Roll-on/Roll-off (RoRo) ferries, as well as modernized ports and terminals in the eastern and western Philippine sea route.

In support of the government’s Strong Republic Nautical Highway Project, and to facilitate the economical movement of people and goods, APFC offers safe, fast and convenient ferry service to the islands using state-of-the-art RoRo vessels.

These new vessels are the first ferries designed specifically for Philippine water conditions.

With its focus on ensuring its passengers’ safety, welfare and comfort, APFC embarked on an ambitious re-fleeting program in 2010. In a bold and unparalleled move, it partnered with Sea Transport Solutions of Australia, the leading designer and builder of mid-speed Ropax/RoRo vessels built for freight vehicle transport along with passenger accommodations.

This partnership brings to the Philippines, for the first time ever, 10 brandnew, custom-crafted, cutting-edge Ropax vessels fitted with world-class amenities and fully compliant with international standards for lifesaving, fire fighting, and damage-stability.

These catamarans are making waves in the local industry, not only because they have arguably safe, fast, and convenient ferry service that are seen in six busy routes in the Visayas and Mindanao, but also because of the reportedly huge -million investment package covering the acquisition of the 10 brand-new catamarans.

There had been guarded talk about the inherent financial risk of having brought in these vessels at such a major cost, and especially since it needs its own specific docking mechanism at the piers.

Archipelago, captained by Christopher Pastrana as company chairman, however, is no newcomer in the industry, and his bold vision needs our support, more so because he had realized that the old fleet his company had been operating before is no longer acceptable. (PNA) FPV/CARF/LBC/EBP